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Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Review: Love and the Mystery of Betrayal

Love and the Mystery of Betrayalby Sandra Lee DennisSynopsis

What is it like to recover from betrayal of trust today in a
culture that is blind to the trauma and impatient with grief? When her
long-time partner suddenly left her shortly before their wedding, the author
found nothing had prepared her for the depth and duration of the pain. Despite
having lived through her husband's death years earlier, she was stunned by the
intensity of the suffering and could not understand why this shock hit so hard.
Her loss of faith in this one person precipitated an existential and spiritual
crisis that called her very understanding of human nature into question and she
wanted to know why.

As she wrested with what turned out to be a massive trauma,
she began to keep careful notes of her inner life--she wanted to capture the
paradoxes of love, grief and longing mixed with bewilderment and post-traumatic
stress. With bracing frankness and fearlessness, she succeeds. Love and
the Mystery of Betrayal seamlessly blends research and reflection,
love and heartbreak, rage and transformation, and the personal with the
collective. The deep, engaging writing provides the type of solace only a
kindred spirit who has been there can. This achingly moving chronicle and
meditation on the mysteries of love and betrayal shows how faith and love can
triumph even after the most life-shattering revelations and loss.

Review

This book is a heart wrenching, eye-opening look at betrayal. It's raw pain molded into this package to help us understand. It's amazing to look at a situation that is so emotional from an analytic point of view. It is such a brave book to have written and to read because not everyone is ready to admit to the feeling of betrayal. Dennis does it elegantly, but truthfully.

What I enjoyed most about the writing of this book is that it equates to some level the feeling of grief and the feeling of betrayal. Many people do not see pain or loss of a relationship or friendship as grief, but it is! Also, someone does not need to have experienced the outright betrayal of a romantic partner because we have all experienced the likeness of that pain, whether it be a romantic relationship, friendship or with family. Please, don't let that dissuade you!

Verdict

Read it when you're ready. It's an honest and understanding portrayal of the pain.

About the Author

SANDRA LEE DENNIS, PhD. obtained her M.A. in Psychology from
the University of Michigan and her doctorate in Integral Studies (Psychology
and Religion) from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is an
author, teacher and explorer of the interplay of depth psychology and spiritual
experience. Sandra was a teacher in the Gurdjieff tradition for many years, a
long-time student of Diamond Heart work, and an Ananda yoga instructor. She has
been on the faculty at Portland State University, the University of Hawaii, CIIS,
and the Jung Institute of San Francisco. The most compelling credential that
informs her work, however, is her dedication to and passion for inner life. She
spends her time writing, reading, gardening and luxuriating in the beauty of
the Bay Area.